I was excited to find a vegetarian miso soup mix, because I really wanted to continue eliminating animal product from my diet. This soup mix by Miyasaka was reasonably priced ($14 for 12 packets) and available via Amazon Prime.

So I ordered. And here’s what I have to say about it.

This soup is a pretty good substitute for traditional miso soup. However, the flavor is not nearly as full-bodied as traditional miso soup. The traditional base – dashi – is made with kelp and bonito flakes. This soup mix doesn’t have dashi, because bonito flakes are actually fish, and that would, by definition, make the mix non-vegetarian.

So, I learned that no bonito means less robust flavoring. But that’s okay: after all, I regularly alter my recipes and omit meat/animal based ingredients when I am looking to minimize my meat intake. And truthfully, the soup is still tasty, just not quite like the traditional version.

I did learn a little trick for making the flavor more intense: use less water. I did that a few times and I enjoyed the more concentrated version. So if you try this soup and find yourself missing the flavor of dashi, try adding a little less water.

Any other fans of Japanese food out there? Let me know in the comments below